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Saturday, 29 June 2013

Deterior - Torchbearer

DETERIOR is a One Man Sludge/Post-Metal Artist from Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Deterior is the Sludge/Post-Metal alter ego of Andrew Arnold. A highly
talented individual who releases music from a whole range of genres.
Grindcore, Ambient, Noise, Sludge and Post-Metal.

Deterior is a band who I have featured on the blog a few time now. The last time being when I reviewed his last excellent album - Men Like Gods back in Nov 2011.

Well Deterior is back with possibly his finest work to date - Torchbearer - Yeah I know I said this about his last album - Men Like Gods - but damn!!! - Torchbearer is on another level altogether. 5 tracks that run for a breathtaking 45 mins or so.

Andrew/Deterior has came back stronger and better than ever. Torchbearer is probably the heaviest album he has released so far under his Deterior alter ego. Andrew also releases other excellent and hard-hitting extreme metal releases as well. Just that Deterior is my fave project of his.

If your into Isis, Neurosis. The Ocean and other bands of that ilk then your going to dig Deterior big time like I do. Anyway back to the album. First track - Diaspora - is a 6:31 minute epic highlighting what Deterior is all about. Sublime Sludge/Post-Metal riffs and superb harsh based vocals to match.

Please remember that Andrew does everything himself here. A one-man Sludge/Post-Metal wrecking crew. If you are a fan of artists such as Judd Madden and Cloudkicker then you will know what to expect here.

Deterior has added a more experimental vibe to his music like ever before. He starts adding haunting soundscapes to his music and the ambient experimental nature from earlier releases makes a welcome return as well. Though Deterior still never forgets to add a healthy dose of Black Metal carnage as well.

2nd track - Artifacts of a Burning World - is an almost 12 minute epic full of breathtaking riffs to punish your senses too. At first the track is all calm and peaceful before all hell breaks loose. Wait until the 3rd minute or so before Deterior unleashes an all out attack on your senses. Awesome stuff. It's one of the albums best tracks and features some of the best instrumental work that Andrew has ever laid down before us.

I am not going to do a track by track review as you need to experience Torchbearer for yourselves. It will leave you shaken at times but it's such a rush you want to experience it over and over again. I will say this for the album. Wait till you experience the 15:09 epic title track - Torchbearer.

Torchbearer is probably the finest track Andrew has written to date. What a journey that track will take you on. Haunting Post-Rock/Ambient driven vibes mixed with it's more violent Sludge/Post-Metal counterpart. Just play this track at full blast and be prepared to be amazed. All this brutal and amazing work is all done by one man. DETERIOR!!!

Torchbearer showcases once again that Andrew Arnold is one of the finest Sludge/Post-Metal Maestros the genre has to offer. I hope he continues Deterior's journey for many years to come as he is still a personal favourite act of mine. And while I am still around I will always spread the word of Deterior.

Torchbearer is brilliant and breathtaking release. You can download all of Deterior's albums on BandCamp Buy Now Downloads. So get downloading now and check out a brilliant artist. You won't be sorry.

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks